Krista M. Rubin, MS, RN

As part of our coverage of ONS, we discuss dermatologic issues in oncology patients, including skin-related toxicities and assessment techniques used to identify skin-related issues.

Melanoma affects persons of all ages, causing more years of lost life than any other cancer except leukemia.[1] The American Cancer Society estimates that about 68,720 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the US in 2009, with more than 8,650 deaths, and an estimated lifetime risk of 1 in 50 for whites, 1 in 200 for Hispanics, and 1 in 1,000 for blacks.[2]